Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 19, 1995 TAG: 9502200071
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Trent's William Byrd squad scored 179 points to hold off Agner's Northside team (164.5), giving the Terriers their first district title since 1990 and breaking the Vikings' three-year run of Blue Ridge championships.
Byrd, paced by individual titles from Corey Walker (103 pounds), David Anderson (125) and senior captain and three-time district champ Patrick Henderson (152), qualified all 13 starters for next week's regionals. Henderson is the Terriers' only senior starter.
The Vikings, who have finished third and second in the AA state tournament the past two seasons, advanced 11 wrestlers to the regionals.
The top four finishers in each class are eligible for regional competition.
Brad Hungate (119), Leland Keeling (130), and Chip Nininger (189) won titles for Northside. Nininger and Keeling, who finished third and fourth respectively in the state last year, each registered three pins Satuday.
Lord Botetourt (119.5) edged Rockbridge County (115.5) for third place.
``We had a couple of guys fail off our team, and our heavyweight got hurt,'' Botetourt coach Tater Benson said. ``Otherwise, we'd have been right there with Byrd and Northside.''
Trent, a 1974 AA state champion wrestler for Byrd, has coached the Terriers for 18 years, winning nine consecutive district titles between 1979 and 1987.
``It feels good to win it again,'' Trent said. ``We talked this week about bringing the title back home.''
Agner, a 1973 Northside graduate and most valuable wrestler in the Group AAA Northwest Region in 1972, is in his first year coaching the Vikings after building a solid program at Botetourt.
``It's very disappointing not to win,'' Agner said, ``We wrestled poorly in the finals. I could handle placing second, but not wrestling poorly. I just hope we can gather it up for next week's regionals.''
Northside had won a dual match 25-22 when Byrd was not at full strength earlier this season.
``Byrd beat us in the Big Orange tournament,'' Agner said, ``so I knew they were tough.''
Agner said there is a certain expectation of winning at Northside.
``If you're not first, you're last,'' Agner said. ``Everyone expects you to win.''
In one of the day's most exciting matches, Botetourt's Jamie Bednarek used a reversal in the final 15 seconds against Northside's David Higgins to win the 145-pound championship, 4-3.
Bednarek and Higgins have split six head-to-head matches in their careers, each decided by one point.
Bednarek received two of his points because Higgins was called twice for stalling.
``That second stalling point really helped me get my act on the road,'' Bednarek said. ``It was one of my more memorable matches. I have no idea how I got the reversal. I think I slipped out the back.''
Agner, who has coached Bednarek and Higgins, hugged both wrestlers when the match was over.
by CNB